Top Ten Facts About Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is one of the worst crime epidemics impacting the world today. It is a crime that doesn’t discriminate by sociodemographic status; income level, age, education, or location. In order to put an end to domestic violence people need to raise awareness about this silent killer. People who find themselves in a domestic violence situation often don’t know what to do, what their options are, or how to escape. Luckily, there are hundreds of resources for people in those situations. If you, or someone you know, is in a domestic violence situation know that there is hope and that there is a way out.

10

An estimated 1.3 million women in the United States are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year.

If you were to take all the women who are abused in the United States each year an place them into a city, it would be equivalent to the population of Dallas. If you were to add up all the women who are abused over a ten year period of time, it would be nearly the population of New York City. The sad fact is, more than 3000 women per day in this country alone are subject to some form of abuse.

9

Around the world nearly 1/4 of women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime.

It is an astonishing fact that nearly one quarter of the women in the world experience domestic violence during their lifetime. In some places in the world, including the United States, domestic violence will impact nearly one third of all women at some point during their life. If you take a minute to think about it, it means that one out of every three women you know has likely experienced some form of abuse.

8

Young boys who witness domestic violence are 2x as likely to abuse their own partners and children when they grow up.

Unfortunately, boys who witness domestic violence against their mothers are much more likely to be abusers themselves. At such a young and impressionable age they believe what they witness must be acceptable behavior and it gets This is why it is so important to end the cycle as soon as possible so that children learn and understand that abuse cannot be tolerated.

7

85% of all domestic violence victims are women.

Although domestic violence against men can occur, it is much more statistically likely that domestic violence will occur against women. Men who abuse women often do so to inflate their power and control over women as a result of their own insecurities.

6

In the United States alone, a woman is beaten or assaulted every 9 seconds.

If you average out all the abuse cases in the United States, it results in a woman being abused every 9 seconds. If you think about it, that is both shocking and disgusting. By the time you have read this article (assuming you read at an average speed) about 15 women will have been abused.

5

Nearly three out of every four people in the United States know someone who is or has been a victim of domestic violence.

The vast majority of all people in the United States know someone who is or has been a victim of domestic violence. If you know of someone in a domestic violence situation, encourage them to escape and provide them with information and resources to get out of their current situation.

4

In America, over $5.8 billion is spent every year on health-related costs of domestic violence.

In the United States domestic violence affects every single person. The vast majority of the $5.8 billion spent on the health-related costs of domestic violence is either subsidized, paid through grants and charities, or directly through taxes. If the rate of domestic violence were to be reduced considerably, all this money could go to helping our country in other ways instead of this completely avoidable travesty.

3

More women were killed as a result of domestic violence than men killed in both the Afghanistan and Iraq wars during the same period of time.

The fact more women die as a result of domestic violence than war is absolutely shocking. More awareness needs to be made about the issue of domestic violence and how it impacts the lives of millions. Arguably, domestic violence has impacted and continues to impact more lives than any war in history. It is about time that we declare war on domestic violence and put an end to all the damage, sadness, and other

2

Around the world there it is estimated that more than 10,000,000 children are exposed to domestic violence every single day.

Perhaps, the saddest fact is millions of children every single day are being exposed to domestic violence. Many children don’t understand what’s happening and live in constant fear.

1

Domestic abuse is the number one cause for homeless for women and children in the United States.

More than any other reason, domestic violence is the number one reason why women and children end up homeless in the United States. As a desperate attempt to escape their situations, women and their children leave the home where they are being abused. For many, living on the streets is a better alternative than living in constant fear, anxiety, and exposing their children to physical violence.

If these facts moved you to make a difference, please consider making a donation to support a wonderful young woman and her two daughters who have been impacted by domestic violence. Donations as small as $1.00 will make a difference in her life. Please visit You Caring: Rebuild a Life.